Evaluation of pharmacist interventions and commonly used medications in the geriatric ward of a teaching hospital in Turkey: a retrospective study

Elif Ertuna,1 Mehmet Zuhuri Arun,1 Seval Ay,2 Fatma Özge Kayhan Koçak,2 Bahattin Gökdemir,2 Gül İspirli2 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey Purpose: Aging increases the prevalence of diseases. The elderly population is consequently often exposed to complex medication regimens. Increased drug use is one of the main reasons for drug-related problems (DRPs). The primary objective of this study was to define and classify DRPs, pharmacist interventions, and frequently prescribed medications in relation to possible DRPs in patients admitted to the geriatric ward of a teaching hospital in Turkey.Patients and methods: Pharmacist medication review reports for 200 orders of 91 patients (mean age: 80.33±0.46) were analyzed retrospectively.Results: A total of 1,632 medications were assessed and 329 interventions were proposed for possible DRPs in 156 orders. A total of 87.5% of the patients used five or more drugs (mean: 8.17±0.23). The number of DRPs per order was higher when polypharmacy was present (1.04±0.15 vs 1.66±0.11, P